Tube-coiling machine



F. H. SLEEPER.

TUBE COILING MACHINE.

' APPLICATlON FILED JUNE l2, l9l9. I 1,353,186, PatentedSept. 21, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

[in 21mm F. H. SLEEPER.

TUBE COILING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12. 1919.

Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

2 SHEETS- SHEE'I 2.

FRANK H. SLEEPER, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 SLEEPER &'

HARTLEY, INC., 02 WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, FRANK H. SLEEPER, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at lVorcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts,

United States of America, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tube-Coiling Machines, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a speclhcation. 1

My' invention relates to tube coiling machines and the present application is a continuation, in part, of my copending application Serial No. 34,067, filed June 14;,- 1915. The object of my invention is to provide a novel vform of tube coiling machine for the production of flexible metallic tubing 0r casing from flat or rectangular stock.

l n'the production of flexible metallic tubing from flat or rectangular stock, it is necessary to give certain amount of initial curvature to the stock before being coiled uponthe mandrel. so that it will wrap naturally and easily into a cylindrical spiral without exhibiting any tendency to buckle or to coil into a cone shape with resulting loss kling or unduly distorting it.

By my invention I propose to eliminate.

ythe above described di' iiculties by running the strip straightthrough the forming and feeding rolls and providing a suitably curved guide adjacent to the coiling mandrel that will bend the strip edgewise into a curve approximating very closely to the pitch angle of the-helix being coiled. A straight guide is; further provided between -the forming rolls and the curved guide in brderie ppol-r the su ir PreYeni'it's rues-comma MACHINE.

Specification Letters a n Patented dept. 21, 1920. Application filed June 12, law. Serial in. 303,7 9.

buckling. In addition provision ismade coiling mandrel in order to form tubes of dlfl-erent diameters.

In the accompanylng drawings,

Figure l is a plan view of a tube coiling machine embodying my invention. v

Fig.2 is a View in side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3, and 4 are detail views ofthe'formingiolls employed in the machine.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing the arrangement of the guides with relationto the coiling mandrel.

Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged fragmentary views showing the arrangement of the coil- 111%}0115 and coiling point.

1g. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner'ofdetermining the curvature of the guide. a

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

Referring to the drawings, the machine comprises a base or bed plate A, upon. which is mountedia shaft 1 extending across the bed plate and rovided at one end with a driving pulley A pinion 2 is carried on the shaft and drives a gear 3 on a shaft 4- extending parallel to the shaft 1. The shaft 4 is-provided at its end adjacent to the pulley B with a gear 5, and an intermediate gear 6 meshes with the'gear 5 and a gear 7 mounted on a shaft 8 that extends .for readily changing the guides and the parallel to the shafts. The shaft 8 is thus+385 driven at substantially the same speed and int-he same direction of rotation as the shaft at. The shaft 4 is further provided at its end opposite from the pulley B with a forming roll 9 that is provided with Iperipheral 4 g. 4.

projections 10, best-shown in i second forming roll 11 is similarly provide-d with peripheral projections 12 that are adapted. to fit in between the projections 10 and is carried on a shaft 13 extending parallel to the shafts and driven therefrom by means of a gear 14. The shaft 13.is 110- tatably supported at one end. in a pivoted bearing 15 andat the other end in a 'journal box 16 that is slidably mounted in a support 17 carried by the bed plate A. The journal box 16 is held in its seat 17 by Q ieee iee means of a top member 18, and a stud 1.9 in threaded engagement with the member 18 is provided to position the journal box v 16 in the support 17, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The shaft 8 is provided at'its end opposite from the gear 7 witha forming roll that'is provided with a peripheral groove 21. Asecond forming roll 22 is provided '10 with a peripheral projection 23 that is adapted to be received in the groove 21 and is carried on a shaft '24 'driven from the shaft 8 by the gear '25. The shaft 24: is rotatably' mounted in the bearing 15 and in 15 a slida-ble journal box 26 that is positioned in the support 17 by a set screw 27, in the same manner as the journal box 16. A guide member 28 is mounted on the bed plate B at a point adjacent to the forming rolls 910 2G and 22, and is provided with a. slot :t'or'the passage of'a strip: 29 that is received be tween the forming rolls. The guide 28 is pivoted at 28*, so. that. it may be laterally adjusted with respect to the forming rolls.

T he shaft 8 is providedwvith a bevel gear 30 which is in mesh with a second bevel gear 31 carried on. a shaft cxteni'ling at right angles to the shaft Sand held in position bya bearing ca 33. A gear is carried 30 at the other end of the shaft 32 and meshes with a pinion 35 carried on an intermediate shaft 36. he shaft 36 is further provided with a. gear 37 that meshes with a pinion 38 carried at one end of a coiling mandrel 35 39 The mandrel 39 extends along the front of the bed plate A substantially parallel to the crimping rolls and is provided at its other end with integrally cut teeth ll), as shown in Fig. 5. The mandrel 39 is rota- 40 tably mounted in bearing brackets l1 and 42 that are respectively provided with slots 43 and 4L4 and studs 45 coacting therewith, by means of which the brackets may be adjusted with respect to the bed plate A,

45 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The bearing bracket is provided with arms 46 and 47 extending above and below the coiling mandrel 39 that} are respectively provided with a laterally entending prnjec- 50 tion 4-8., as shown in Figll. (oiling roll brackets 44) and 50 are pi'votally mounted on studs 48 carried by the. projections 43. A gear .51 and a ceiling roll 52 are pivotal]; ounted between the arms of the upper racket 49, and a gear 53 and coiling roll 7 54 are mounted between the arms 'of the 1 lower bracket 50,.the pivotal axis X X of the gear 53 and 1Oll,54c bcingjinclined with respectto the pivotal'axis Y Y of the gear 51 and the roller 52, as shown in Fig. 5.

The teeth of the gears 51 and 53 are respectively in mesh with the top and bottom portions of the teeth &0 on the mandrel 39. The bracketsdll and. 50 are adapted to be 55 positioned with respect to the mandrel 39 by means of set screws 55 and 56, respectively in threaded engagement "with the arms 46 and l-T of the bracket 4E2.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 5., a curved guide 59 is mounted on a table at a point adjacent to' the teeth 40 ot the mandrel 39 and is provided with a groove 60 for the passage of the strip 29. It will he noted that a line tangent to the curve at the end of the groove 60 is substantially at right angles to the pivotal axis X of the guide roller 55, shown in dotted lines. The radius 1 of the curved guide is substantially the same as the radius of curvature of the strip 29., if it were to be uncoiled from the mandrel 3e 39 as will hereinafter appear. A straight guide 61 is mounted adjacent to the-guide 59 and is provided with a groove 62 that conforms to the formed contour of the strip and is adapted to receive the strip 29 l'r0ni 5 the forming rolls 9 and 11.

Having described the various parts entering into my invention the operation thereof is follows :--The strip which originally, substantially rectangular in cross sec- 96 tion, is pushed through the slot in the guide 28 and is introduced between the forming rolls 20 and 22 by starting the machine in operation, or by turning a hand wheel 63 carried at the end of the shaft 1. As the strip 29 passes between the rolls 20 and 22,

it is given the form shown in Fig. 3 by the coaching projecting and recessed portions of the rolls. The strip 29 is then introduced between the rolls and go 11 where it is given the form shownin. i Fig. 4 by the meeting projecting portions of the rolls. The strip 29 then passes from the rolls 9 and llinto the groove (5:2 of the straight delivers it to the curved groove 60 of the guide The strip is bent laterally in passing through the groove 60 and-is delivered between the mandrel and the lowei coiling roll 5% in a plane that is substantially 1 0 tangential to tl'ie'inandrel, as shown in Fig. 7. The strip is then bent by hand around the curved end of a coiling point (Sat and is directed between the mandrel and the upper coiling roll :32, a peripheral projection 65 5 being provided on the roll to enga e the groove formed in the strip 29. The line of peripheral motion of the coiling roll being at. an angle to the line of peripheral motion of the coiling roll 54:, the strip is 12 naturally coiledinto ahelix, with the pr jcct'ing edgeot one coil located in the groove of the nezi't adjacent coil, as shown clearly in Fig. 6. The strip coils readily owing to its lateral deflection which approximates very closely the pitch angle of the helix being coiled.

Adjustment of the forming-rolls,.,can be obtained by means oflthe set screws 19 and 27'. Turning thescrewsdown, prevents upisfi guide 61 whiclr1 5 were ward movement of the iourhai boxes'in their. slides and causes the upper rolls Hand 22. to engage the strip more closely. Adjustment of the studs 19 and 26 also permitsthereception of strips of varying thickness be tween the forming rolls: Adjustment of the coiling rolls is obtained-by the screws 55 and 56, by means oflwhich the rolls and 54 can 'be made to engage the strip with an equal-pressure.

If it is desired to produce tubing of a dif ferent diameter but with the same formed section, it is only necessary to remove the mandre1 39, and the curved guide 59, and substitute therefor a mandrel of different diameter-and a curved guide having a radius bearing a definite relation to the diameter of the tubing to be produced. The adjustment between the brackets ll and 42 permits the use of different sizes of pinions 38 with the mandrels in 'order to vary the speed oi the mandrel. The mounting of the brackets 49 and 50 on the beari bracket 42 insures that the guide roll axes }:QX and Y--Y will intersect on the axis of the mandrel 39 afier the mandrel is changed.

The radius of curvature of the guide 59 .is determined in the following manner, Re-

\ ferring to Fig. 8, it has been found that a straight formed strip 29, when coiled freely, withqut 'the use of coiling rolls, tenlls to 25- sume the formshown in full lines, the axis of the coil. being represented by the line and its diameter by D. ffhen, how'- ever, the straight strip is forced between the mandrel and the coiling rolls, it is bent or crushed into the form shown in dotted lines,

the axis of the coil then being represented by the line B--B. in time coiling the strip, it is obvious that one sidethereof. is distorted and I have found that the center about which the fibers of the strip move during this distortion is determined by the intersection of the geometrical axes (l -C of a cross section of the strip with the axis AA, as indicated at 0. If then a guide is constructed having radii of curvature 'equal to R R R for different sections of the strip, the guide will give to the strip the lateral deflection necessary to permit it to be coiled as shown in Fig. 6, without any further bending or distortion. In this way guides may be laid out for producing tubing "of-different diameters.

" From! the foregoing it is apparent that a tiibei'coiling machine constructed in accordance with my invention is adapted to pro: duce' flexible tubing from fiat or'rectangular stock without any of the difficulties-here tofore encountered, for itis obvious that my machine differs in important particulars from machines previously employed for coilingtubesf The forming rolls form the strip to be coiled and deliver it in a straight line to the straight guide. The strip is then lat- I the lateral bending.

dependent of said forming orally deflected tothe desired curvature by the curved guiderthe straight guide resisting any. strains imposed upon the strip by By bending thestrip to approximate the itch of the helix being coiled, the strip coi s easily and compactly Without losing any flexibility, a result extremely diiiicult, it not impossible, to obtain if only the angular relation between the forming and coiling rolls were depended upon to impart this lateral curvature to thestri tion with means for forming and feeding astrip and means for coiling the strip in the form of a tube, the longitudinal axis of which is substantially parallel to the longi tudinala'xis of the strip being formed, of separate guiding means interposed between said forming and coiling means for impartin'g lateral deflection to the formed strip before being coiled. v

3. In a tube coiling machine, the combination with means for forming and feeding a strip and means for coiling the strip in the form of a tube, the longitudinal axisof a which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the strip being formed, of separate guiding means interposed between saidforming and ceiling means for imparting lateral deflection to' the formed strip and delivering it to the coiling means in a line corresponding to the pitch line of the coiled tube.

4. In a tube coiling machine, the com-- bination with means for forming and feeding a strip and means for coiling the strip in the form of a tube, the-longitudinal axis of which is substantially parallel to the longi-' tudinal axis of the strip being formed, of guiding means interposed between said forming and coiling means, the said guiding means comprising a curved portion for in1- parting lateral deflection to the formed strip. Y.

5. In a machine of the class'described, a coiling arbor, a pair of feed rolls for feed-- ing a formed strip Without lateral deflection of the strip from its'line of feed, a straight guide having a groove fitting the formed contour of the strip, said guide being in ile I have shown the invention in its I elinement with the feed rolls and :1 second guide in alinement with said straight guide and curved in the are of a circle to receive the strip from said straight guide :iiid deliver it to the ceiling arbor in e plume tangential to the periphery of the arbor.

6. In a machine of the class described,

coiling arhcr, a mix of feed rolls "for feeding the strip to becoiled a straight guide in elincment with the feed rolls, and, a sec- 0nd guide to receii e the stripflfrom said straight guide, second guide being curved to impart enedg'ewise bend to the fed strip and deliver it in a line correspond ing with the pitch line of the coiled tube on said arbor.

7. In a tube coiling machine, a plurality of rolls for feeding and forming a strip, a mandrel and rolls coo ierating therewith fer coiling the formed strip in the form cfle tube, the longitudinal axis of which is parin a line corresponding to the pitch angle of the coiled tube 9. In a tube coiling machine, a plurality messes 01" rolls for feeding and tanning a strip, a nuindrel and rolls cooperating therewith for coiling the formed strip in the form of a tube, and a curved guide interposed between said forming rolls and said mandrel for desaid forming rolls and said mandrel '50). de I livering the formed strip to the coiling rells in a line corresponding to the pitch angle of the coiled tube, the radius 01. curvature of said guide being determined by the diameter of the tube. v v

11. In a tube coiling machine, e curved guide for causing lateral defiectien ci a formed strip to be coiled, the center 01" curvature of the said guide being determined by the intersection of the geometrical axis of :1 cross section of the formed strip with the longitudinal axis of the tube to be coiled, a

Dated this 29th day of May, 1919.

- FRANK H. SLEEPER; Witnesses:

NELLIE VVHALEN,

PENELOPE CQMBERBAQH. 

